How we research

Where questions come from

We start with the wording real readers use, collected from free public search suggestions, and keep only questions that fit this site's subject.

Sources we rely on

Pages cite these primary sources, among others. Each guide lists the exact sources it used at the bottom of the page.

• CFPB: Consumer Handbook on Adjustable-Rate Mortgages (CHARM booklet)
• CFPB: For an ARM, what are the index and margin, and how do they work?
• CFPB: What are rate caps with an ARM, and how do they work?
• CFPB: Fixed-rate vs adjustable-rate mortgages
• CFPB: Loan Estimate explainer
• Federal Reserve Bank of New York: Secured Overnight Financing Rate data

How a page is checked

1. Each factual statement is matched to a primary source.
2. Plain-language wording is compared back to the source so meaning is not lost.
3. A page shows a new review date only after it has been rechecked.

Pages written this way

• ARM anatomy: initial period, adjustments and names like 5/6
• ARM indexes explained: what SOFR is and why LIBOR ended
• ARM margins and caps explained, including 2/1/5
• Reading ARM disclosures and the Loan Estimate's AIR and AP tables
• ARM payment shock: planning for the worst case
• ARM vs fixed-rate mortgage: a decision framework
• Should you refinance an ARM before it adjusts?
• What is an ARM conversion option?

About the Fixed vs. Adjustable-Rate Guide ARM adjustment simulator

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